Routemaster front boarding costs
Dear Transport for London,
You announced on 10th January that there would be changes to Routemaster buses to ensure front boarding only. You claim this will prevent some £10.6m in ticket fraud every year.
Please explain
a] how much introducing these modifications to Routmaster buses has already cost and how much it will in future cost every year.
b] how much delay will be added to stop times by cutting out passenger entry at middle and rear doors.
c] how opening middle and rear doors for passenger exit will safely prevent passenger entry.
Yours faithfully,
Robert Neuschul
Dear Mr Neuschul
TfL Ref: FOI-3094-1920
Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 14
January 2020.
Your request will be processed in accordance with the requirements of the
Freedom of Information Act and TfL’s information access policy.
A response will be sent to you by 11 February 2020.
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do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Eva Hextall
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
Dear Mr Neuschul
TfL Ref: FOI-3094-1920
Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 14
January 2020, asking for information about New Routemaster buses.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can
confirm we do hold the information you require. You asked:
a] how much introducing these modifications to Routemaster buses has
already cost and how much it will in future cost every year.
The cost of carrying out the modifications to all 1,000 New Routemasters
is expected to be up to £900k. We expect the modifications to pay for
themselves in around a year from the reduced rates of fare evasion we have
seen on the routes 8 and N8. There will be further savings from reduced
maintenance of travel card validators as the vehicles will only need one
of these by the driver’s cab. This will benefit customers by enabling more
money to be reinvested back into the network as a whole and reduce
complaints about people not validating their travel cards.
b] how much delay will be added to stop times by cutting out passenger
entry at middle and rear doors.
We do not expect to see any net difference in end-to-end route travel
time. Front-door boarding tends to be quicker at less busy stops with the
driver only needing to focus on the front door when everyone has got off
and this tends to offset the faster boarding and alighting times at much
busier stops when all three doors are in operation. So, we expect any
slower hopping on and off in a very busy location to be made up over the
length of the route.
c] how opening middle and rear doors for passenger exit will safely
prevent passenger entry.
Front door boarding isn’t new and is the predominant way passengers get on
to buses in London. Around 85 per cent of our 9,000 bus fleet uses this
system already, making it very familiar to passengers. There will be a
short period when passengers get used to the change on New Routemasters,
supported by additional signs advising customers to do this, but after
that we will have a more consistent system for people getting on and off.
It may assist safety as passengers won’t be moving in conflicting
directions through three doors.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable
to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to
appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would
like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Eva Hextall
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
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